Friendship Unit Study - Homeschool Share

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This interdisciplinary friendship unit study includes lessons for a variety of subjects, and many of them are based on the literature selections.

Take a week and help your student learn what it is to be a good friend.

Friendship Unit Study Lessons

This friendship unit study uses three books: Dogger by Shirley Hughes, The Hungry Coat by Demi, and A Bargain for Frances by Russell Hoban. It also includes general lessons about friendship that can be used with any friendship themed picture book.

Here are a few sample lessons from the friendship unit study:

A Good Friend
Ask your student what makes a good friend and give him a chance to think and come up with some suggestions. Answers might include:

someone you enjoy being around
someone you can trust
someone who brings out the best in you
someone who encourages you to do and be better

How to be a Good Friend
Look at these verses and discuss how you can apply them in being a good friend.

Matthew 7:12
Do to others what you would have them do to you.

Philippians 2:4
Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Matthew 7:12 is also known as the Golden Rule. Gold is a precious metal and this is a very precious rule that Jesus gave us to follow in our relationships with each other.

To have good friends you need to BE a good friend. Think about this: If there you are in a group of four people and each person is thinking only of himself first, how many people are thinking of you? (only one)

How about if each of these four people is thinking of each other’s interests first? Then how many people are thinking of (and looking out for) you? (Three!)

Which way do you think will create a stronger bond and friendship among this group of people?

Friends to Avoid
Look at Proverbs 12:26: A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

The Bible tells us that we should avoid friends who lead us astray. If a friend is encouraging you to do something that you know is wrong, then you should step away from that friendship. You don’t have to be mean, you can still be nice, but you should not be spending time with someone who wants you to do anything that goes against what mom and dad have taught you. Remember our definition of friend before? Someone who is encouraging you to do wrong is not encouraging you to do better. They are not really your friend! They are not looking out for your interests, only their own.

Using discretion, you can discuss some possible situations with your student. Don’t forget to cover what to do in these situations (and others).

A friend encourages you to take a pack of gum from a store.
Your friend wants you to go swimming at the neighbor’s house. They won’t know, because no one is at home.
One friend doesn’t like your other friend and he encourages you to not talk to him either, or to call him names and make fun.
Mom is in another room and your friend wants to secretly show you something on the internet.
Your friend is watching TV, but it is a show you are not allowed to watch.

You can grab a copy of the entire Friendship unit study in an easy-to-print file at the end of this post.

How to Get Started with the Friendship Unit Study

Follow these simple instructions to get started with the Friendship unit study:

Buy a copy of the books used in this study, or borrow them from your local library. You will need Dogger by Shirley Hughes, The Hungry Coat by Demi, and A Bargain for Frances by Russell Hoban.
Print the Friendship unit study.
Choose and the lessons you want to use with your student.
Enjoy a week of learning about friendship.